Quote: (CNN) -- Clay Duke sat quietly through the first portion of the Bay District Schools, Florida, school board meeting Tuesday afternoon as local children were honored for their achievements.

When it came time for citizens to bring up issues, the 56-year-old resident calmly approached the front.

He spray painted a red "V" with a circle around it on the wall, brandished a small-caliber handgun and ordered the room cleared at a Panama City schools building.

"Six men stay. Everyone else leave," the burly gunman said.

Moments later, Ginger Littleton, a board member, returned to the room and swung a purse at him. She ended up on the ground after the two struggled. The gunman cursed her, but did not open fire and he let her leave the room.

Someone was going to die, he said.

At that point, Duke, as seen on the dramatic live internet feed provided by CNN affiliates WJHG and WMBB, began a rambling discourse that included the apparent firing of his wife and sales taxes.

The confrontation ended in the gunman identified as Duke calmly firing at the school officials, being wounded and, according to police, taking his own life.

At first, school board members and Superintendent Bill Husfelt tried to reason with Duke, who had a criminal record. They talked about possibly finding a job for Duke's wife or looking into the case.

Husfelt told the gunman that he likely signed the termination papers, but didn't recall the circumstances.

"I'm the one who signed the papers," Husfelt. "Let them go," he said referring to the school board members.

At one point, Husfelt said, "I don't want anybody to get hurt. I've got a feeling that what you want, is you want the cops to come in and kill you because you are mad. Because you said you are going to die."

The gunman opened fire at Husfelt and school board members. He missed them all, even though he was at close range, said Lee Stafford, director of student services of Bay District Schools. Duke said, "I'm going to kill [unintelligible]," while he fired.

Mike Jones, chief of security for the school system and a retired police officer, exchanged fire with Duke, who was wounded and rolled to the ground. Duke turned his gun on himself, dying of a fatal gunshot to the head, authorities said. Husfelt called Jones a "hero."

The gunman was declared dead at a local hospital. An autopsy is expected Wednesday.

Police and school officials were left to piece together what happened.

"I'm sure they never expected this kind of event to occur," Sgt. Jeffrey Becker of the Panama City Police Department.

The superintendent later related the event as being "surreal," Becker said.

Husfelt told reporters that Duke had almost a smile on his face. "He made up his mind. You could tell he was going to die."

The superintendent said he believes the gunman used a combination of live bullets and blanks. But police said live bullets were used.

Husfelt told "AC360" Tuesday night that the gunman was "just mixed up" and that he tried to calm him down. "I knew the police were on their way."

"You knew he had something in mind he was going to do and it would not end well," Husfelt said.

The superintendent said he wanted to protect the school board members, but Duke did not want to talk.

"The good Lord was standing in front of me," said the school chief, adding authorities found two bullet holes behind his desk.

Police have a solid lead on Duke's motive, Becker said, but were not prepared Tuesday night to release it.

The investigation includes Duke's assertions that his wife had been terminated by the school district. Police were talking with Duke's wife, Becker said.

School officials said they were unaware of the significance of the spray painting.

But a Facebook page belonging to a Clay Duke has a profile photo of a "V" in a red circle, a logo that is used in the movie "V for Vendetta."

According to the Internet Movie Database, the 2006 film is about "a shadowy freedom fighter known only as "V" uses terrorist tactics to fight against his totalitarian society. Upon rescuing a girl from the secret police, he also finds his best chance at having an ally."

CNN could not verify if the Facebook page belonged to the gunman, but it does list Duke, 56, as living in Panama City, Florida.

A biography on Duke's Facebook page reads: "My Testament: Some people (the government sponsored media) will say I was evil, a monster (V)... no... I was just born poor in a country where the Wealthy manipulate, use, abuse, and economically enslave 95% of the population. Rich Republicans, Rich Democrats... same-same... rich... they take turns fleecing us... our few dollars... pyramiding the wealth for themselves. The 95%... the us, in US of A, are the neo slaves of the Global South. Our Masters, the Wealthy, do, as they like to us..."

Under "political views," Duke labels himself a "Freedom Fighter." Under religious views, he wrote, "Humanism."

Duke, who lived in Lynn Haven, a suburb of Panama City, has a previous record, Becker told CNN.

According to the website of the Florida Department of Corrections, Duke was sentenced in 2000 for aggravated stalking, obstructing justice and throwing or shooting into a vehicle.

According to the Panama City News Herald, after six months of stalking a former girlfriend, Duke confronted the woman outside her home on Oct. 20, 1999. He was wearing the mask and vest and holding two .22-caliber guns. He threatened to kill her, then kill several others and then himself, the newspaper said. When the woman tried to drive away, Duke shot out a rear tire.

The photo of Duke on the corrections page matches the Facebook page.

The News Herald reported that the gunman was taken out of the building on a stretcher. According to Panama City Police Chief John Van Etten, no one other than the suspect was injured, affiliate WJHG said.

School board spokeswoman Karen Tucker said the man "was a large guy" she had seen sitting in the back of the boardroom earlier, according to the News Herald.

Superintendent Husfelt will hold a press conference at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday at the administration building in Panama City, police said.

CNN affiliate WMBB reported children and parents were at the meeting to be recognized for achievements, but were gone before the incident began.

"We are absolutely in state of shock," said Stafford. "I was in the third floor and we were watching the live feed, and first we thought it was a drill. But the more that you watched it, we realized this was an actual incident and emergency situation."

Duke's Facebook page listed him as a 1972 graduate of King High School in Tampa.

His favorite quotation: "You want the truth? You can't handle the truth," from the movie "A Few Good Men."

a shorter version, closer shot with better sound

Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:26 am

Sage FrancisSelf Fighteous

Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 21671

Disturbing as hell. The text at the end of the first video says no one was shot even though it looks like the first guy was hit in the chest (because he clutches his chest and falls.) It goes on to say that the shooter killed himself after security wounded him.

Today I learned about "Herostratus" and I think that story might apply here. On second thought...I don't think so. It might just be that old, white people with guns are going totally insane.

Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:53 am

Disharmony

Joined: 01 Jun 2003
Posts: 3034
Location: Buried in Minnesota dirt.

There is no way the first guy wasn't hit. I mean....wow. I'm not really sure how I feel about all of that.

And the lady with the purse? Really? This video is all kinds of crazy. The relaxed manner of just about everyone in this video is really eerie. Like right after the first shot rings out a few of the dudes behind the desk just kind of cower, not really hitting the floor or protecting themselves in anyway.

Ahhh, upon further inspection it looks like the first shot hits the papers in front of the man, possibly sending some shell casings into his chest.

Wed Dec 15, 2010 2:00 am

RealJustice

Joined: 04 Sep 2002
Posts: 1193
Location: Abstract Packistan

This has apple pie written all over it.

Wed Dec 15, 2010 3:32 am

OM3N

Joined: 30 Jun 2002
Posts: 1297
Location: Thailand

That was wayyy too intense for me.

Welcome to the new media, where school shootings are posted on youtube.

Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:28 am

english bob

Joined: 01 Jul 2002
Posts: 842
Location: england, uk

^^ i don't know what that means. (the apple pie thing)

but, this video is fucked. i have no idea (and never want to know) how i'd act in that situation, but i'd imagine that i wouldn't be as calm as any of the people there.

and wtf to that woman hitting him with her bag.. loco..

Wed Dec 15, 2010 4:30 am

Nahgied

Joined: 30 Mar 2004
Posts: 376
Location: Ontario

read the summary, started watching, insane intensity made me turn it off and file it under 'just don't need this in my life'.

that is a really wild story.

Wed Dec 15, 2010 5:26 am

futuristxen

Joined: 01 Jul 2002
Posts: 19377
Location: Tighten Your Bible Belt

Those two guys doing the talking had obviously been trained in crisis management of some kind. They kept him talking and from shooting long enough for the police to get there and do something. I mean it took what...6 minutes before anyone even could get there. Dude could have killed everyone in that room twice over in that time.

I agree with Sage though. Old white people with guns scare me.

That woman who hit him with her bag was insane courageous. She didn't have to go back into the room and try to do anything, but she did. Didn't work out for her, and she's lucky she didn't get killed--but props to her all the same.

Wed Dec 15, 2010 5:56 am

futuristxen

Joined: 01 Jul 2002
Posts: 19377
Location: Tighten Your Bible Belt

Oh and incidentally that symbol he spray paints on the wall is from the V for Vendetta movie, no? The Wachowiskis can't buy a break in this shit.

Wed Dec 15, 2010 5:58 am

Mikal kHill

Joined: 29 Jun 2002
Posts: 6852
Location: http://mikalkhill.com

That was a weird thing to start my day with...

Wed Dec 15, 2010 6:33 am

bakemosphere

Joined: 05 Apr 2005
Posts: 701
Location: 304

An Hero is born every day.

Wed Dec 15, 2010 7:15 am

the meanCertified O.G.

Joined: 31 Jul 2003
Posts: 6500
Location: philly/sacto/kauai/ohio

Woman with the purse fucking rules.

Wed Dec 15, 2010 8:49 am

phataccino

Joined: 10 Jan 2004
Posts: 4778

Crazy. The guy who apparently signed the papers resulting in the gunman's wife being fired seemed like he was being a dick. I'm no expert on crisis management or negotiating with a hostage taker, but if some crazy guy is threatening to kill me because I fired his wife, the last thing I'd do is continue to essentially reduce her to a number on a ledger by repeating over and over that I didn't even know who she was or what she did. Then he basically berates the guy saying he thinks he just wants to cops to show up and kill him. And the lady with the purse is definitely a badass, but she couldn't have found a better weapon than a purse?

Wed Dec 15, 2010 9:03 am

crash

Joined: 07 Aug 2003
Posts: 5457
Location: the chocolate city with a marshmallow center and a graham cracker crust of corruption

young black men with guns scare me

Wed Dec 15, 2010 9:04 am

icarus502kung-pwn master

Joined: 01 Jul 2002
Posts: 11291
Location: ann arbor

the mean wrote: Woman with the purse fucking rules.

She really does. But I couldn't help but laugh really, really hard when I saw that. It was so unexpected, having not read the story. She's awesome, though.

Wed Dec 15, 2010 9:45 am

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